# Change the accessibility of a stream

If you are a Zulip realm administrator, you can change who can join your stream
by changing the stream's accessibility.

Please note that any users that were previously subscribed to the stream will
remain subscribed to the stream after you change the stream's accesibility.

## Make a public stream private

1. Click the cog (![cog](/static/images/help/cog.png)) next to **Streams** in
the left sidebar. A tooltip labeled **Subscribe, add, or configure streams**
will appear upon hovering above the cog.

    ![Browse streams](/static/images/help/streams-1.png)

2. The stream browser will now appear, showing all streams that you've subscribed
to by default. If you wish to see streams that you aren't subscribed to, click
the **All Streams** tab; the tab will turn gray upon doing so.

    ![All streams](/static/images/help/all-streams.png)

3. Locate the public stream that you want to make private in the stream browser.
You can search for specific streams by entering the name of the stream in the
**Filter streams** search box.

    ![Filter streams box](/static/images/help/filter-stream.png)

4. Click on the stream that you want to make private. The right side of the
stream browser, labeled **Stream Settings**, will now display the settings of
the stream that you've selected.

    ![Stream selected](/static/images/help/stream-selected.png)

5. After making sure that your cursor is hovering over the **Stream Settings**
section (right half of the stream browser), scroll down to the **Administrator settings**
section. This section shows all stream settings that can be modified
by a realm administrator.

    ![Stream administrator settings](/static/images/help/stream-admin-settings.png)

6. To make a public stream private, simply locate the red **Make stream private**
button located on the bottom of the **Administrator settings** section and click
on it.

7. After clicking the **Make stream private** button, the button will turn into
a blue **Make stream public** button, a green section labeled
**The stream has been made private!** will appear, and the stream's icon will
switch from a **#** to a lock icon, confirming that the stream has been made private.

    ![Public stream private success](/static/images/help/public-stream-private-success.png)

## Make a private stream public

1. Click the cog (![cog](/static/images/help/cog.png)) next to **Streams** in
the left sidebar. A tooltip labeled **Subscribe, add, or configure streams**
will appear upon hovering above the cog.

    ![Browse streams](/static/images/help/streams-1.png)

2. The stream browser will now appear, showing all streams that you've subscribed
to by default. If you wish to see streams that you aren't subscribed to, click
the **All Streams** tab; the tab will turn gray upon doing so.

    ![All streams](/static/images/help/all-streams.png)

3. Locate the public stream that you want to make public in the stream browser.
You can search for specific streams by entering the name of the stream in the
**Filter streams** search box.

    ![Filter streams box](/static/images/help/filter-stream.png)

4. Click on the stream that you want to make public. The right side of the
stream browser, labeled **Stream Settings**, will now display the settings of
the stream that you've selected.

    ![Stream selected](/static/images/help/stream-settings-private.png)

5. After making sure that your cursor is hovering over the **Stream Settings**
section (right half of the stream browser), scroll down to the **Administrator settings**
section. This section shows all stream settings that can be modified
by a realm administrator.

    ![Stream administrator settings](/static/images/help/stream-admin-settings-private.png)

6. To make a public stream private, simply locate the blue **Make stream public**
button located on the bottom of the **Administrator settings** section and click
on it.

7. After clicking the **Make stream public** button, the button will turn into
a red **Make stream private** button, a green section labeled
**The stream has been made public!** will appear, and the stream's icon will
change from a lock to a **#** icon, confirming that the stream has been made public.

    ![Public stream private success](/static/images/help/private-stream-public.png)